Box handle and closure



Sept. 23, 1958 R. sLATER ETAL 2,853,224

Box HANDLE AND cLosURE:

Filed Jan. 2e, 195s United States Patent O BOX HANDLE AND CLOSURE Robert Slater and Ella Zach, Wurttemberg, Germany, :ssrgnors of one-half to Paul O. Tobeler, Los Angeles,

This invention relates to box handles for retail packaging boxes which may be made of cardboard or plastic material and which has for its purpose to provide a simple and neat means for carrying a box after purchase and in addition, vif necessary, for holding a lid and box together, said means involving neither -gumming nor stitching.

According to this invention, the carrying means consists of a handle made of cardboard or other suitable material, the root or roots of which are inserted through slits in the wall of the closed box. The roots of the handle 'are prevented from coming out of the slits by tongues which ar-e pressed out from the roots of the' handle and point in an outward direction from the roots. The tongues pass easily through the slits and then spring outwards. The roots of the handle are thus held inside the box and are prevented from coming out by the tongues abutting against the inner face of the wall of the box.

This invention relates in particular, but not exclusively, to fairly deep rectangular boxes closed by a comparatively deep close-iitting lid. In such case, the roots of the handle pass through both the wall of the box and the w-all of the lid. The handle then serves as a carrying meansl and also acts to hold the lid and box together. In boxes of this type, if the lid and box are a reasonably good lit they can be held together on only one end or side of the box and will not come apart if the contents of the box are not too heavy. In cases where the lower side or end of the box has a tendency to come open, the lid may be held to the box by any convenient means such las gummed tape or by the -added closure means disclosed herein.

It is an object of our invention to provide a box handle which has the advantages of a construction of the type described above including simplicity of manufacture and use, economy and strength.

Our invention also comprises `such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by our invention.

While we have shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of our invention, it should be understood that the same are susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my handle and box before insertion of the handle;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through one of the slots of the box, showing the handle ready for insertion;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the handle in operating position;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of our invention; v

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a modiiied embodiment of the handle shown in Figs. 1 3;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of our handle in use on a round box;

Y Fig. 7 is an end view of the end of the box opposite from the end having slots therein;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken through the flaps in Fig. 7.

A preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate our invention comprises a box 10, which is shown as a box of the type ordinarily used in the retail packaging of shoes. This form of box is selected for purposes of illustration only, since our invention is capable of use with substantially any size or type of container. The box 10 comprises a hollow body portion 11, which is substantially rectangular in cross section and a lid 12 which is removably fitted in overlapping relationship to the body portion 11. The body portion 11 and lid 12 are each provided at one end thereof with a pair of narrow elongated identically formed slots 13 and 14 respectively, which :slots are aligned when the lid 12 is in closed poistion on the box portion 11.

The handle 15 is preferably formed from a single substantially oval blank of cardboard or other suitable material which is bent back upon itself along a bisecting line to form a substantially U-shaped handle having a transverse gripping portion 17 and ya pair of downwardly directed roots 18 at the opposite ends thereof. The handle 15 comprises two identical closely adjacent leaves 16, each of which is provided with a pair of outwardly directed tongues 19, which are disposed adjacent the ends of the roots 18. The tongues 19 are preferably formed by cuts through the leaves 16 and are pressed out of the material forming the handle so that they are integral therewith and are bent to extend upwardly and outwardly.

In use, the ends of the roots 18 are inserted through the aligned slots 13 and 14. As the tongues 19 pass through th-e slots, they flex inwardly to permit the roots to pass into the interior of the body portion 11. The tongues 19 then flex outwardly aga-in. When upward pressure is exerted on the gripping portion 17, the tongues 19 engage the inner surface of the body portion 11 on both sides of the slots 13 to prevent removal of the roots 18 back through the slots 13 and 14.

It will be noted that due to the doubled back forma.- tion of the handle 15, the free ends of the roots 18 are stiff and rounded, thus facilitating their passage through the :slots 13 and 14. The slots 13 and 14 are preferably substantially equal in width to the thickness of the cornbined leaves 16, so that the edges of the slots 13 and 14 act to hold the leaves 16 closely adjacent to each other when the handle is in use.

The double-fold handle construction has the further advantage that in case the box is made of decorated cardboard, the handle -ean be formed of the same material, with the printing or decoration being required on only one face of the handle.

A modified form of our handle is shown in Fig. 4, with the handle 20 being formed from a blank folded along line 21. The handle is substantiallyA oval, having an upper gripping portion 22 and a single root 23, which extends parallel to the gripping portion 23 on the opposite side of an oval opening 24. The root 23 is provided with an upwardly and outwardly directed tongue 2S on each side thereof.

Another form of our handle is shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, such handle being identical with that shown in Figs. 1-3, except for the addition of a pair of integral anti-chang aps 30 adjacent the bottom of the gripping portion. The aps 30 may be diverted outwardly and/or upwardly and their purpose is to prevent the lower edge of the gripping portion of the handle from cutting into the lingers of hand when the box is carried.

Instead of cardboard, the handle may be formed of any suitable material including plastics such as polyethylene.

instant In the case of plastics, the outwardly and upwardly directed tongues may be bent into position by heat treatment.

In the case of a round box, the locking tongues may be inclined so that, they are disposed tangentially to the curvature of the wall of the box, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

In order to hold the opposite end of the box from coming open, we may provide additional closure means at the opposite end of the box, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings. Such additional closure means comprise a pair of tlaps 31, which are formed by cuts in the body portion 1,1 and a second pair of aps 32, which are formed by cuts in the lid 12. The llaps 31 and 32 are aligned with each other when the lid 12 is in closed position in the body portion 11. The aps 31 are adapted to be pressed into the body portion 11, providing an opening behind the aps 32. The'flaps 32 may be placed into this opening, so that their edges contact the edges of the opening to prevent movement of the lid 12 with respect to the body portion 11. In practice, the aps 31 and 32 are simultaneously pressed inwardly by a simple movement of the finger to effect the locking action described.

We claim:

1. A combination box and handle, said box comprising a body portion and a lid removably tted over said body portion in overlapping relationship thereto, said lid and body portion each having a pair of elongated narrow slots extending through the overlapping portion thereof, the slots in said body portion being aligned with the slots in said lid when said lid is in closed position on said body portion, said handle being formed from a single blank of substantially rigid material, said blank being folded back upon itself at its rnidportion to provide a pair of identically formed leaves disposed side by side, said leaves comprising a substantially U-shaped handle, the ends of said U-shaped handle comprising a pair of oppositely disposed roots, the fold line of said blank extending along the free ends of said roots, each of the leaves of said blank having a pair of integral tongues pressed therefrom along a substantially horizontal crease, said tongues normally extending upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions from adjacent the ends of said roots, the tongues of each root being in substantial alignment with each other, said tongues being compressible so that the thickness of said handle including said tongues is only slightly less than that of said slots to permit the insertion of said roots through said slots, the ends of said roots extending through said slots, with said tongues engaging the inside of the body portion of the box on opposite sides of said slots to prevent said roots from passing through said slots, said slots holding the leaves of said handle closely adjacent to each other.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1, said body portion and lid each having one or more flaps cut in the opposite end of said box, the aps of said body portion being in alignment with the aps of said lid when sai-d lid is in closed position on said body portion, the tlaps of said body portion being pressed into said body portion to provide an opening, the aps of said lid being pressed into said opening so that their edges engage the edges of said opening to prevent the movement of said lid with respect to said body portion.

3. A combination box and handle, said box having an elongated narrow slot extending therethrough, said handle being formed from a single blank of substantially rigid material, said blank being folded back upon itself at its mid-portion to provide a pair of identically formed leaves disposed side by side, said leaves comprising a handle, the bottom of said handle comprising a root, the fold line of said blank extending along the bottom of said root, each of the leaves of said blank having an integral tongue pressed therefrom along a substantially horizontal crease, said tongues extending upwardly and outwardly from adjacent the end of said root, said tongues being in substantial alignment with each other, said tongues being compressible so that the thickness of said handle including said tongues is only slightly less than that of said slot to permit the insertion of said root through said slots, the end of said root extending through said slot, with said tongues engaging the inside of the body portion of the box on opposite sides of said slot to prevent said root from passing through said slot, said slot holding theleaves of said handle closely adjacent to each other.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 454,636 Brown et al June 23, 1891 2,128,723 Zettler Aug. 30, 1938 2,359,298 Brogden Oct. 3, 1944 2,405,914 Van Rosen Aug. 13, 1946 2,434,630 Van Rosen Jan. 13, 1948 2,514,858 Gray July 11, 1950 2,645,406 Robins July 14, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,342/35 Australia Sept. 17, 1936 

